Food and Culture Texts

Food and Culture Texts posts new books and other materials of interest to researchers investigating food and cultural studies, as well as the critical analysis of eating practices and broader cultures of consumption.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Nostalgic cooks

Book DescriptionWhy is it that in France, a country renowned for its gastronomy, chefs tend to develop a nostalgia syndrome? Having been taught how to work in the most prestigious restaurants, they soon discover another reality in everyday restaurants or cafeterias: chefs have to cope with family constraints and are often forced to accept positions in standardized organizations that leave little room for daily inspiration. Feeling the burden of their professional commitments, these chefs are considered as having made an egotistic professional choice, both by society and the French educational system. With this in mind, their identity is distorted, regardless of possible improvements in working conditions. This book analyses vocational identities in French foodservices in their different stages and diversity, using international and inter-industry comparisons in the sociological field of professional groups.

About the AuthorSylvie-Anne Mériot, Ph.D. in Sociology (2000), EHESS Paris, is a Research Sociologist at Céreq (Centre d'études et de recherches sur les qualifications) in Marseilles, France. She has worked on several government projects, and has played an important role in various reforms, especially in the French education system.

Brewers in Hertfordshire

This list of books and resources represents some of the new material in the collections of the University Library at the University of California, Davis.
Librarians, David Michalski, Axel Borg and others refer books to this list as time permits. For a complete list of materials, and inquires, please visit the University Library.

Critical Studies in Food and Culture (CSFC) is a research cluster sponsored by the Davis Humanities Institute and the American Studies Department at the University of California, Davis. It aims to support and share the work of Faculty and Graduate Student researchers investigating the intersections of food and cultural studies, as well as the critical analysis of eating practices and the broader cultures of consumption.